We Have Forever
by nalunatics
Summary: They had forever to figure things out, they could ignore the sounds of their friends playing dirty between the sheets for one more night. Nalu. This will be a two-shot! Be weary of language and suggested scenarios.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy had had a _long_ day and she was, quite frankly, more than a little grumpy. Fairy Tail had decided to go on a much needed vacation after the whole mess with Zeref, the Spriggan Twelve, Alvarez, and Acnologia. That was all great and fun, but Lucy was finding herself trying to figure out what Fairy Tail's definition of _vacation_ was.

Not only had she spent most of the day trying to stop Natsu from burning down Akane Resort, they were dangerously close to being blacklisted, she also had to stop him and Gray from fighting _before_ Erza chopped their heads off with one of her many swords. It was like they _hadn't_ all almost died in the battle. Lucy swore that she was dealing with children and that Wendy was the most mature one out of the lot.

That aside, she had to console a crying Happy because he _thought_ that Lily and Carla were spending just a _little_ too much time together when all that happened was that they floated a little too close to each other in the wave pool.

Lucy, with the help of Levy, _then_ had to make sure that Natsu and Gajeel didn't puke up their lunches because they just _decided_ that it would be a good idea to accompany the two girls down the largest waterslide in the park. That, in turn, triggered their motion sickness and Natsu had been one dry heave away from ruining Lucy's new swimsuit with a real heave. It had been a long day.

Lucy sighed and shook her head, making her way to her and Levy's room. When she approached the hotel room door, there was a 'Do Not Disturb' tag on the door handle. Lucy was mildly perplexed and searched her bag for the room key.

"Ah, crap. Levy has the keys..." Lucy knocked on the door tentatively, "Lev! Can you let me in, I don't have my key!" Lucy waited for a response and she heard what sounded like hurried shuffling around and shushes. Lucy frowned; she had no idea what Levy could be doing. Levy eventually made her way to the door and opened it, wrapped in a white robe and her hair disheveled.

"O-oh, hey, Lu! W-what are you doing here?" Levy questioned her and Lucy refrained from letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Levy, I'm staying with you in this room. You have both of the keys and I want to go to bed." Lucy stated in the most even voice she could muster. Levy's eyes practically bugged out and she looked panicked for a moment.

"U-um, I'm so sorry Lucy, is there any way you could stay somewhere else?" Levy pleaded with her silently and Lucy heard a faint sigh from another person within the room. A very male sounding sigh. A very _Gajeel_ sounding sigh. Lucy's face flushed and she began to feel very uncomfortable in the presence of her friend.

" _Levy_!" Lucy hissed in shock and Levy wrung her hands together. Lucy knew that she and Gajeel had sort of a thing going on, but she never imagined her to do _that_ while they were on vacation.

"I'm sorry, Lu! Don't hate me... Let me grab your stuff!" Levy promised and eyed Lucy. She sighed and looked down at Levy and couldn't help but smirk.

"Fine, but you owe me." Lucy smiled as Levy broke out into a huge grin and clasped Lucy's hands. Lucy was incredibly happy for the pair for sure, but she was cranky when she was tired, especially after the day she had. She hadn't even gotten to enjoy a damn snow cone like she wanted to! As happy as she was, she wasn't sure how she felt about helping her best friend getting laid via Fairy Tail's resident ' _shoobedooba!_ ' guy. Lucy shook her head, nah, Gajeel was a good guy.

"Here you go! A-and thank you again!" Levy placed a quick kiss of appreciation on Lucy's cheek and Lucy laughed. "Oh, I bet Erza would let you stay with her!" Lucy nodded and slung her backpack over her shoulder, heading across the hall to where Erza was staying with Juvia. However, when Lucy got to the door, there was an identical 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her door. When Lucy got a little closer she realized that it certainly was _not_ Juvia in the room with her, and Lucy had a sneaking suspicion that a certain illusive blue haired man may or may not have made an appearance. After all, Jellal and Erza hadn't actually gotten to truly just _talk_ after the war and Lucy was sure that they had some _catching up_ to do.

Lucy's patience was running thin and all she wanted to do was sleep. So, she did the only thing that she could think of and that was knock on the door next to her and Levy's room.

After waiting a few moments, a bleary eyed Natsu opened the door and looked at Lucy curiously.

"Huh? Lucy, what are you doing?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes and Lucy tried to avoid the fact that he had no shirt on and was just in his low rise baggy pants.

"U-um, well, you see..." Lucy wasn't sure how to word her situation and just ended up heaving a sigh of tiredness and exasperation. "I'm supposed to be staying with Levy next door, but she's a little _preoccupied_ and needs the room..." Natsu looked at her curiously as if he didn't get it and Lucy resisted the urge to punch him square in the face. "I was going to ask Erza if I could stay with her, but it seems like she has a guest. Anyways, can I stay here for tonight?" Lucy rushed out her words and Natsu frowned a bit.

"Were they just gonna let you sleep in the hall?" He scoffed and opened the door a bit wider for her to step in. "Yeah, c'mon in!" Lucy looked at him gratefully, but then panic started to set in. Natsu and Gray were sharing a room, Mavis knows why, so where was she to sleep?

"Dunno where Gray is, I haven't seen him since this afternoon so there's a free bed anyways." As if Natsu could read her mind, he gestured to the empty bed after leading her further into the room.

"Oh? Where could he be...?" Lucy pondered and then realized that, if Erza isn't with Juvia, then where could _she_ be as well? "Ah, oh well I guess!" Lucy said quickly before she could delve deeper into that conversation with Natsu. "So, uh, where's Happy?"

"He's spending some time with Wendy and Carla I think. There was some sweets shop that Wendy wanted to check out so I'm guessing they're there."

"So _that's_ where Lily must be..."

"Why would Lily be with them, wouldn't he be with Gajeel?" Natsu questioned looking perplexed.

"O-oh, no reason! I-it was just a guess." Lucy's face burned and she scurried over to Gray's empty bed.

"You're actin' weird, Luce." Natsu eyed her suspiciously and Lucy busied herself with unpacking her bag.

"No, I'm not. I'm just a bit tired is all!"

"You're such a weirdo and you don't even know it." Natsu snickered and Lucy shot a glare behind her. She couldn't keep the face long because she found herself blushing for an entirely new reason and that was because she was never one to be able to resist bed-head Natsu. His hair was adorable messy and tousled, hanging over his eyes. He had his familiar lopsided grin on and still sported tired eyes. Lucy quickly looked away and shoved her feelings down her throat like she had been doing for who knows how long.

After the war, Lucy had practically told Natsu how much she loved him. She couldn't hold it any longer and she had just spilled her feelings to him. Lucy knew that Natsu cared for her deeply and had told her that they'd be together forever, however, that was _after_ Lucy thought he was going to kiss her. Yeah, that didn't happen. Either way, things were different between her and Natsu, but in a good way. They were still best friends, but there was an air of something more between them. Lucy often wondered if that _something_ would turn into what she knew she wanted, but that was up to Natsu; she had already made her feelings abundantly clear.

"So, w-what have you been up to then?" Lucy asked as she turned around only to realize that Natsu had passed back out on his bed, snoring and all. "Of course..." Lucy pouted a bit and got herself ready for bed. She finally was able to take a nice, long shower, brush her teeth, and put on her adorably comfy pajamas that had little starts and moons on them. When she walked back out of the bathroom, she covered Natsu back up with his comforter, and snuggled into Gray's unused bed. Lucy was just reaching for the light when she heard a muffled groan and a bang against the wall.

"Oh my fucking lord." Lucy heard herself mutter out loud. There was _no_ way that she was hearing her friends having sex through the wall, right? Nope, no way. "Damn you Natsu, getting to sleep peacefully." Lucy cursed the boy to the left of her and tried to drown out the sound with her pillow. That was working great, surprisingly, and Lucy was just on the brink of sleep when suddenly Natsu shot up, awake.

"What the hell?" He croaked out and Lucy sat bolt upright in fright from his sudden outburst.

"W-what?" Lucy gulped and Natsu's eyes looked wild. Lucy switched on the light, to which Natsu practically hissed at, and eyed him suspiciously. His eyes were wide and, if Lucy didn't know better, it looked as thought there was a blush on his cheeks. "What on earthland is wrong, Natsu?" Lucy groaned and Natsu slowly turned to look at her.

"Nothing." He answered quietly and sat on his bed staring at the wall opposite of himself. "You should go back to sleep."

"Geez, talk about being weird." Lucy huffed and Natsu shot a scowl at her. "What's your deal?" Natsu was silent for a few moments, looking more than a bit uncomfortable under Lucy's gaze.

"It's nothing." He repeated and Lucy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly.

"Well, I'm awake now and-"

"You're not gonna want to be awake." Natsu huffed out and Lucy stared at him perplexedly.

"No, I didn't want to be awake, but your sudden outburst brought me here." Lucy grumbled and Natsu pouted a bit. Lucy was about to ask him, for a third time, what was wrong when she heard another bang on the wall and muffled sounds of love.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Natsu winced and Lucy blushed; it was not something that Lucy wanted to be experiencing with Natsu.

"Oh!" Lucy squeaked out and Natsu looked at her sheepishly. "Yeah... About that..."

"So _that's_ what Levy's doing." Natsu swallowed hard and Lucy fought the urge to draw her blankets over her head out of embarrassment. "With metal head? Does she have no taste?" Natsu snorted and Lucy could have sworn she heard a growl of disapproval from the next room over. Natsu's sly smirk proved her theory right- he had pissed off Gajeel. Of course he heard him, dragon slayer hearing and all.

"You've got to be kidding, of course it's with him. Haven't you noticed that they've always been closer than 'just friends'?" Lucy scoffed and Natsu looked at her dumbfounded.

"I guess now that you mention it... Ehh... I don't know..." Natsu scratched the back of his head in thought and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Geez, you are oblivious! And I suppose you think that Gray doesn't love Juvia back as well?"

"Well, I got that one just now because I can hear them fucking down the hall." Natsu stated bluntly, though a hint of a blush dusted on his cheeks.

" _Natsu_!" Lucy gasped at his vulgar choice of words, though she wasn't surprised. Neither of the fact that Gay and Juvia were hooking up or his poor choice of vocabulary.

"And... Gross." Natsu placed his hands over his ears and Lucy folded her arms over her chest. What were they supposed to do, listen to their friends getting it on all night?

"I bet all you can hear is them," Natsu jabbed a thumb to the wall behind him suggesting Gajeel and Levy. "But no, I need to hear Gray and Juvia as well as them. Not to mention the worst of all..." Natsu shuddered and Lucy eyed him in horror. "Erza and Jellal are into some weird fucking shit." His face looked paled under the yellow glow of the lamp between them, and Lucy was trying to decide if it was from the lightbulb or whatever he was hearing from Erza and Jellal's room.

"Oh god..." Lucy groaned out.

"Yeah, been hearin' that a lot." Natsu quipped, a sick look on his face. Lucy glared at him and whipped a pillow at his head.

"Totally _not_ what I want to hear right now!"

"You don't want to hear what I'm hearing right now!" Natsu shot back. "This is like hell."

"Well, _honestly_ , what do you expect? There's been sexual tension between all of them for... for ever!" Lucy spluttered and Natsu looked at her uneasily. "It was bound to happen! Gajeel and Levy have been in love with each other for _ages_ now, Jellal and Erza have been in love since day one, and Gray and Juvia have totally had a thing going on for a while, but Gray was too much of a tsundere to admit it until now! All of them, _apparently_ , needed to almsot die multiple times to admit their true feelings for one another!" Lucy was almost out of breath, here little outburst had gotten her heated.

"Uh..." Natsu looked uncomfortable and not sure what to say.

"Don't you get it? Things are different now and people have deeper bonds than before... It happens when people care deeply for each other." Lucy said quietly and Natsu swallowed and looked away from her slightly. His face was shadowed by his hair, the one lamp, providing the only source of light, created intense contrasting shadows over Natsu and the room.

"Of course I get it. I mean, not fully, I guess, but I understand why." Natsu murmured and Lucy was taken of guard when he turned back to her, his face more red than before.

"Then let them have this. It's awkward as hell, but... I don't know. It's sweet knowing that our friends are happy." Lucy told him quietly and the moment was quickly broken when Gajeel's gruff voice broke through the wall.

"Yeah, let us have this, Salamander!"

" _Gajeel_!" Came Levy's embarrassed response and Lucy felt like imploding in on herself.

"Ugh..." Lucy groaned and flopped back down on her pillows. "When people care deeply for each other and have a relationship, this happens."

"You don't need to give me the sex talk, I get it." Natsu dismissed her, sounding embarrassed. "Yeah, I got a whole lot of it from Gildarts a while back."

"That's super, because I totally wasn't going to have the sex talk with my twenty one year old best friend!" Lucy snapped out of embarrassment and relief over the fact that she actually _didn't_ have to talk to him about the birds and the bees. There were a long few moments of silence between the pair, Natsu occasionally wincing after hearing something particularly bad, and Lucy feeling her blush getting more heated.

"So..." Lucy began out of curiosity. "What _is_ Erza into then?"

"Is this really something we're talking about?" Natsu replied, his voice a few octaves higher than usual.

"I'm curious!"

"You're a pervert! I was right, you're a perv!" Natsu shouted and Lucy threw her remaining pillow at his head, hitting him square in the face.

"Am not!"

"She has armor called 'punishment armor', is that enough for your perverted mind?" Natsu threw her pillow back at her and dodged it just before it hit her. "Or are you not satisfied?" A devious smirk played on his lips; he looked almost dangerous with the light being thrown across his face.

"I'm not a pervert..." Lucy wailed and Natsu snickered. "Trust me, I don't care what our friends are doing, I'm just glad that they're... I don't know... Happy..." Lucy sighed and the room got quiet once more. "They got what they wanted after waiting so long, right?" Natsu didn't reply, he just sat in the middle of his bed, cross legged and silent. Lucy figured she'd try to get some sleep and leave Natsu to his suffering if he was going to tease her. She was about to close her eyes when his raspy voice broke her concentration.

"I know that you're happy for them... But I think you're jealous."

"Excuse me?" Lucy retorted and sat up. Natsu was looking wistfully at the wall across from him, a small smile playing on his lips. "What does that mea-"

"You always wanted something like that, right? You always wanted to go on dates and all that dumb stuff." Natsu chuckled lightly and faced Lucy. She placed a scowl on him, though it was more so directed at his forehead, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.

"So what? It's not dumb. People like that, people like being in relationships and romance. It's not uncommon." Lucy huffed and looked down at her bed sheets. "I'm happy for them..."

"I know you are, but I know you Luce. I know what you want." Natsu replied, his eyes searching for her gaze which she had not given him yet.

"If you know so well, then why didn't you do something about it?" Lucy blurted out and her eyes shot open wide. Natsu looked slightly surprised, but a little grin spread across his face. "I, uh, didn't mean anything..!" Lucy's cheeks burned and Natsu crossed the distance between them, sitting down on her bed by her feet.

"Weirdo." Natsu grinned at her, but Lucy couldn't muster up a smile back. She _was_ jealous, at least she could admit it to herself. She thought that things would be different by now. She knew Natsu was a bit different in his ways than the other guys in the guild, but he was still human. Yes, he was undoubtably human.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter. I mean, so what if romance is something that I want, I'll find it one day, right?" Lucy chuckled sadly and looked up at Natsu only to be surprised when he looked hurt. "What?"

"I know what you want..." Natsu began, a blush creeping its way down his neck and to the tip of his ears. "I know... But you don't need to search for it." Natsu swallowed and Lucy felt her skin prickling with a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on. Expectation, perhaps?

"I don't know what-"

"I'm sorry." He interrupted her words and Lucy looked at him in confusion. "I just- I just don't know how to do this whole thing." His eyes looked at her pleadingly and Lucy frowned.

"Do what?"

"Ugh..." Natsu groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want you to go looking for _romance_ with someone else..." Lucy was just bluffing when she had said that, but she didn't know it would bother him so much.

"Well, it's going to happen eventually. It's something that I-"

"You want." His dark gaze fell on hers and Lucy fought the urge to look away.

"Natsu...?"

"Every one of my friends is special to me. Everyone has their own unique smell and meaning to me. Then there's you and I don't know how to put it because I'm no good with all of this crap." Natsu frowned and Lucy held her breath a bit. It was unlike Natsu to talk things out, he was more of an 'action now, talk later' kind of guy.

"You said what you needed before, right?" Lucy smiled sadly at him. "We'll be together forever. We're best friends."

"That's not what I meant!" Natsu sounded exasperated and Lucy was almost taken aback. He sighed and rubbed his head. "I didn't know what to do in the moment. You thought... I was going to... I was..."

"You were?" Lucy's heartbeat hitched up a notch and Natsu's eyes widened a bit.

"Maybe..?"

"Then why...?" Lucy whispered out, tears threatening to invade her sight. "What were you going to do?"

"You didn't need to thank me for everything in our past, it's what made us who we are." Natsu's gaze flicked to the bed sheets. "I do well with action, I can take on Zeref or Acnologia, but I'm scared of..." He trailed off and Lucy drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly.

"I'm scared of what you want." Natsu swallowed and a pang of something like hurt went through Lucy's heart.

"It's not your burden to bare then." She replied sourly and Natsu shook his head.

"What scares me the most is what I want." He gripped the scarf that hung around his neck and stared off somewhere behind her. "Geez, Luce. Why couldn't you be some bad guy that I could beat the shit out of?"

"Er..."

"That came out wrong..." Natsu laughed lightly. "What I'm sayin' is, you mean a lot to me." Natsu flashed his grin that she had grown to love. "And I was totally gonna kiss ya like you thought, but I chickened out." Natsu admitted through his grin, his voice in a whisper. "I don't want Gajeel to hear me." Lucy took a moment to stare in shock at Natsu and then, she was sure of it, her entire being lit up in the worst blush she had ever had.

"W-wha- y-you were! Y-you knew that... I-I thought that... Ah..." Lucy was on the verge of wailing and Natsu looked at her curiously. "Oh my god."

"Like I said, I guess I'm just a little bitch when it comes to romance and crap." Natsu chuckled and Lucy swallowed hard. "I... Sorry, I just need a little more time than everyone else." He admitted and placed a soft gaze on her. "But you should know by now how much I love ya." Natsu grinned, his eyes almost squinted shut. Lucy sat for a long moment absorbing everything in and trying to feel like she wasn't on fire. After much deliberation, she did what she thought was best, and quickly leaned in kissing Natsu fully, and quickly, on the mouth. His eyes shot open wide and his mouth hung open a bit after she pulled away, his blush becoming more prevalent on his tanned skin.

"S-sorry... Roles were kinda reversed... U-um... You did all the talking so I took the action..?" Lucy breathed out and after a moment, Natsu burst out laughing. "Natsu...?" Lucy was afraid that she had actually broken him.

"Luce..." He chuckled and then leaned in, grabbing her face, and kissed her more deeply than before. It was an inexperienced kiss, on both their parts, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Natsu finally pulled away leaving Lucy unable to get her thoughts together. "I'm sorry I couldn't do it before. I wasn't ready to be honest." Natsu admitted and Lucy nodded her head.

"I-"

"I meant it though, we _will_ be together forever." Natsu smiled brightly. "So... I hope that's okay with you, because you're stuck with me!" Lucy couldn't help but laugh, and the tears that had threatened to come before spilled down her cheeks. "Whoa, w-why are you crying?!"

"I'm just happy, Natsu." Lucy smiled as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "You don't need to apologize for not being ready... I'll love you no matter what." Natsu took a moment and then broke out into another one of his infamous grins.

"Are you sure this is okay for now?" Natsu asked quietly looking a slightly worried.

"We've got forever to figure it all out, right? Of course it's okay. I couldn't be happier." Lucy smiled, brushing her hand across his cheek. He leaned in to it, nuzzling closer to her fingers.

"You sure you don't wanna do-"

"I-I only just kissed you, I-I'm not ready..!" Lucy blushed furiously by Natsu's innuendo and he laughed loudly.

"You're such a weirdo, Luce." He smiled fondly at her and Lucy flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you..."


	2. Chapter 2

_~ 10 Years Later ~_

"Hey, Lu, are you nervous?" Levy asked as she came around the table that Lucy was seated at in the guild hall.

"A bit actually." Lucy admitted, chewing her lip in thought. "I don't really know what to expect, you know?"

"I know how you feel. It'll be fine, trust me." Levy patted Lucy's head and smiled down at Lucy.

"Thanks." Lucy smiled up appreciatively. Lucy had been nervous for months, and now that the time had finally come, well, her nerves had skyrocketed to an entirely new level.

Levy bid her farewell with one final comforting pat on Lucy's shoulder, and went off to scout for Gajeel. Lucy sighed, she was content and happy, but everything was about to change and she didn't know how it would go. Everything had been at peace for so long, it was nice to have the guild so happy, but she had been focusing on one thing for the past four and a half months. She was happy, of course, but continuously nervous.

Shortly after the war, almost eleven years prior, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all set off on a hundred year quest. Of course, it wasn't _actually_ a hundred year quest, no, the mission itself had been posted on the guild's wall for a hundred years. Natsu had been dying to take the request and they were finally able to once all of the chaos was over.

The mission was difficult, after all, Gildarts was the only one to ever take on a hundred year quest and survive it, so they had taken things cautiously. It took Team Natsu just over seven years to complete the mission and they all had learned a lot and matured within that time. The mission certainly lived up to its name as a hundred year quest; only the most skilled mages took on those kinds of jobs, so it was one that Lucy would never forget. However, that's the topic of another story for a different time...

Lucy sat in an almost trancelike state at her table, reminiscing about the past, and watching her guild mates in the hall. Makarov had _actually_ retired about four years after they left for their journey, and Laxus had become guild master. Lucy thought he did a wonderful and had really come around to be a great person; he had truly repented for his past. He and Mira had gotten close over the years and actually ended up getting married and were expecting their second child. Freed was to be the godfather and Lisanna was the godmother.

Within the year that Team Natsu had left, Levy and Gajeel announced that they would be getting married, which Lucy and the rest of the group had hurried back to the guild for their wedding. They had twins a few months later, Shutora and Yaje; they were nine now. They were the first to be parents and Lucy had never been more happy for her friends. Levy had asked her to be godmother to the twins and Lucy had been more than ecstatic to accept.

Others weren't far behind; though Gray and Juvia were apart while they were all on the hundred year quest, every time they would stop home at the guild, Gray would make sure he spent most of his time with her. They had already been dating before they left for their mission, so there was no hard feelings as far as 'love rivals' go. They ended up getting married after they finished the mission; Gray was sure to beat Juvia to it when it came to asking her to marry him- she was ready to propose to him herself. They had a daughter named Briny, she was going on two now.

Jellal and Erza kept in touch during the seven years and the group had often _conveniently_ run into him throughout that time. They got together officially about two years after they left, and Lucy had made sure that Erza got the 'fairy tale' wedding that she had always wanted. Though Jellal did not accompany them on their journey, he often made appearances at Fairy Tail, and shortly after ending their mission, Erza announced that she was pregnant with a baby boy. The guild had scolded her on continuing with her journey even though she knew she was pregnant, but she had assured them that she put him in no danger, and she was absolutely fine. It almost gave Lucy a heart attack knowing the things that Erza did while pregnant. Their son, Tenchi, was just going on four now.

It warmed Lucy's heart to see her friends so happy. Pantherlily helped with Gajeel and Levy's twins all the time, he absolutely adored them. Cana and Gildarts had continued to remain close, and he even helped her out when she volunteered at the orphanage once in a while. Wendy and Chelia were closer than ever and she often visited Lamia Scale to see her.

Lucy watched, from across the hall, as Wendy and Carla happily chatted about something that she couldn't quite make out and Cana drinking a mug of beer. She let out another sigh and rested her head in her hands. Yeah, Fairy Tail was doing great. Fights still broke out daily, Gray and Natsu were still at each others throats, and Erza was there to put an end to it... Or to join in. Master Makarov still fretted about them destroying the guild hall, or anything for that matter, but Laxus wasn't afraid to bash some skulls together either. Fairy Tail was doing great, but so many things had changed.

"What's on your mind, Lucy?" Mira's sweet voice interrupted Lucy's thoughts and she glanced up at the older girl. "You look worried."

"Just feeling nostalgic, I guess." Lucy sighed. "And more than a little nervous."

"Is it about tonight?" Mira wondered and Lucy sighed again.

"Yeah, I just don't know what to expect. So much is about to change, but that's how life is I suppose." Mira smiled down at her and put on hand on Lucy's shoulder and another hand on her swollen belly.

"Everything will be fine, I promise."

Lucy gave the guild hall another glance over; Shutora and Yaje were entertaining Tenchi and Briny, both toddlers giggling at whatever silly antics the twins brought forth. Gajeel and Levy were chatting with Gray and Juvia as their children played together, Juvia always snuggled close to Gray's side. Erza and Laxus seemed to be having a deep conversation at the bar, and Elfman was giving his godson, Laxus and Mira's child, Rai, a piggy back ride while Evergreen watched on happily, holding their two year old daughter, Sylvie.

"Everyone seems so happy." Lucy pointed out and Mira nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well I hope they'd be!" Mira stated and then noticed Lucy's worried look that was still etched on her face. "Don't worry so much. You should know that, even though things will change for you, they will be great changes. You know that this would never cause a problem."

"Yeah." Lucy smiled gratefully up at Mira. "Thank you. It's just nerves I suppose!"

"Right! Speaking of, when _is_ he getting back tonight?"" Mira started and Lucy rolled her eyes slightly.

"He's supposed to be back this evening, but I'm sure he'll probably be late..." Lucy shook her head and Mira giggled.

"My my... It's the same as it was all those years ago, isn't it?"

"It seems that way. Still a child, but... I wouldn't have it any other way." Lucy admitted, a slightly blush dusting her cheeks.

"I would hope not!" Mira laughed and Lucy brushed her hair behind her ear.

"I've missed him. Happy too, of course." Lucy sighed happily; things would be just fine.

* * *

Lucy was standing in the center of the guild hall unsure of what to do. Dusk was nearing and, though she thought she couldn't get anymore nervous than she had been earlier, her nerves were almost making her sick at this point. She was eager for the evening though and that had her watching the seconds on the clock tick by slower and slower each time she looked.

"Lucy, you look sick, are you alright? Do you need me to help you with anything?" Wendy fretted, her blue hair that was once long, now swung freely around her jawline as she stepped over to Lucy.

"You mustn't worry so much, child. You're going to make yourself sick!" Carla floated next to Wendy, a concerned look on the white exceed's face.

"Thanks guys, but I'm fine. I know I shouldn't be so nervous, but..." Lucy trailed off and Wendy smiled at her sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Lucy! Why don't you join us over here. All of us are about to have some dinner soon and you should eat something too." Wendy advised and gently guided her over to the bar where some of her guild mates were gathered. Mira greeted her warmly from behind the counter, Laxus with her to make sure she wasn't over doing it; he was almost too overprotective of Mira. It was sweet.

"Ah, Lucy! Join us." Erza smiled from her seat next to Jellal. Jellal smiled welcomingly at her, but stayed quiet at his wife's side. Erza had announced, a few weeks earlier, that she and Jellal were expecting a second child. Tenchi had been ecstatic about being an older brother and Lucy thought it was adorable.

"Lucy, do you want some of my strawberry cake?" Tenchi asked from Jellal's lap as she walked over to the bar, frosting smeared on his cheeks and mouth.

"For me?" Lucy smiled widely at the little boy and ran her fingers through his blue hair. "That's okay, sweetheart, you eat it. I'm going to have some dinner." Tenchi nodded in approval and continued to devour his cake.

"None for Mommy?" Erza questioned and Tenchi frowned slightly.

"You already had _two_ whole pieces today, Mommy!" He protested and Erza grinned at her son, though a hint of disappointment shone in her eyes.

"Lu!" Levy waved her down and Lucy made her way to where she and Gajeel were sitting with the twins. "Hows your new novel coming along?"

"Oh... I've been having a bit of writer's block, actually. But I'll get back to it soon!" Lucy laughed and Levy smiled wistfully.

"Let me read it when you get a chance, okay Lu?"

"Of course!"

"Hey, where's your asshole of a husband?" Gajeel grunted out and Levy rolled her eyes.

"Why, you miss him?" Lucy teased and Gajeel pulled a look of horror.

"Daddy, that's another jewel for the swear jar!" Shutora piped up and Gajeel frowned.

"It ain't swearin' if it's true."

"Nuh-uh, you still sad a bad word!" Yaje agreed, his pierced ears catching the light of the lamps in the guild hall and shining. Yaje took on a lot of his father's features, though his eyes were a little bigger and his face a little more soft around the edges. Shutora was the spitting image of Levy and was a little bookworm just like her mother. The only difference between Gajeel and Levy and their little look alikes was their dark blue hair, save for a few varying traits.

"You're gonna have to buy Mommy a new book with all the jewels that are in there! You filled it up _a lot_ this week." Shutora pointed out and Gajeel huffed.

"Well, I certainly like that idea." Levy nodded, smiling at her daughter.

"Geez, you're teaching your kids real great habits." Gray scoffed at Gajeel's swearing and Gajeel placed a steely glare on the dark haired man on the other side of Lucy.

"And you're teachin' yours to be a pervert." Gajeel pointed out and Gray looked at him confusedly.

"Gray, dear, your clothes." Juvia piped up, smiling at her husband.

"When the hell did that happen?!"

"Daddy, where'd your shirt go?" Briny asked in her little voice and Lucy giggled. The little girl was too adorable for words and Lucy just wanted to smush her cheeks together any chance she got. She had Juvia's big blue eyes and Gray's dark hair that fell in loose curls.

"Hi Briny, aren't you just the cutest little raindrop?" Lucy cooed at the little girl who just giggled in response.

"How are you doing, Lucy?" Juvia asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "It'll be good for you to not be living alone anymore. I don't want anything to happen to you, you can't push yourself!"

"Thank you Juvia," Lucy smiled brightly at her friend. "But I'm fine, really. I've been doing great, but yes, it will be nice to have another set of hands to help me around the house!"

"Yeah, well that bastard better treat you properly..." Gray growled and Lucy smiled, waving her hands in front of her slightly as she spoke.

"I-I don't think you need to worry about that, Gray! But thank you, I appreciate your concerns."

"You should have a swear jar too, Juvia because Gray swears an awful lot... But not as much as Dad!" Yaje informed Juvia who laughed lightly at the boy's concern.

"Hey!" Gray protested and Gajeel let out a rumbling laugh.

"I'll take that into consideration, Yaje. Perhaps I will do that."

"Yeah, well if we both have one then Lucy should have one as well for future purposes." Gray scowled. "That idiot swears just as much as us!"

"Noted." Lucy laughed happily, enjoying the time with her friends.

"Mommy says bad words sometimes too..." Tenchi's voice drifted from the other end of the bar and Erza froze in embarrassment.

"I do not!" Erza retorted and Jellal was stifling a smile.

"Tenchi..." Jellal sighed his son's name and the boy just turned around and gave them a frosting filled smirk.

"Lucy, do you want something to eat?" Mira questioned after a moment and Lucy turned her attention to the white haired woman behind the counter.

"Sure, but let me get it, Mira! You should be resting." Lucy advised and Mira giggled slightly.

"Well, so should you!"

" _I'll_ get it." Laxus let out a rumble of a laugh and kissed the top of Mira's head. "What would you like, Lucy?"

"Um-" Lucy's answer was cut off by the sound of the guild's front doors slamming open.

"Yo!" Came a raspy yell and Lucy felt her heart flutter.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed happily over her shoulder and Natsu smiled brightly at her. His hair had grown over the years and he now sported a short ponytail. Lucy liked when he had long hair, she thought it suited him, and it was fun to play with in her opinion.

"Hey, Lucy!" Happy called excitedly, carrying a fish in his paws. He and Natsu had left for a big job that took them around three months to complete; it was the first time that Lucy had seen him in ages. Their relationship had deepened over time, especially after that one night way back when they were vacationing at the Akane Resort. That's when things had truly changed for their relationship. Throughout their journey, they became closer and closer, thought their relationship always progressed at it's own slow pace. Lucy didn't mind, she loved Natsu for who he was and she loved their relationship. They watched their friends get married and have children, and Lucy couldn't have been happier. When the time came, Natsu had eventually asked Lucy to marry him; he had not been sure how exactly he was supposed to, so he had one day just handed her a modest ring with a diamond that looked as though a flame was captured within it. He had said nothing and just had hugged her and kissed her forehead. They had their wedding a few months before he and Happy left for their mission. Natsu had said it was one of the last long mission, without her, that he would do, it was just one that he had promised to take on the mission a while ago.

"Hey... You really let yourself go, Lucy!" Happy eyed her slightly swollen belly and Lucy frowned at the cat.

"Happy!" Natsu scolded him through gritted teeth and Happy chomped on his fish.

"But she did!" Happy protested around his mouthful of fish.

"Shut it, cat!" Lucy hissed and Happy dodged her swatting hand.

"Ah, Carla, save me!"

"You're on your own." Carla snubbed her nose, but a smirk played on her mouth; she was glad Happy was back, Lucy could tell.

"Well, I'm betting he's gonna pass out..." Gray snickered and Gajeel joined in.

"And I think he's gonna have a heart attack, gihi..." Lucy glared at the boys and Levy smacked Gajeel on the side of the head in punishment. "Ow!"

"Natsu, um..." Lucy stammered and Levy gave her an encouraging smile while Mira squeezed her hand tightly.

"Alright, everyone eat their dinner. Yes, Natsu is home, big deal." Erza waved her hand in the air and winked at Lucy.

"Hey! I've been gone for months..." Natsu pouted and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at her husband's childishness.

"Natsu, I have to tell you something." Lucy said over her shoulder as Natsu smiled and quickly walked up to her. Before Lucy could continue, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face in her hair. For a moment he hugged her contently, and then froze, his hands stopping on her belly.

"Lucy?" Natsu squeaked out, his voice a few octaves higher than normal.

"U-um, d-don't freak out..." Lucy turned to face him, his eyes wide as he dropped his backpack onto the floor.

"Lucy..." He whispered out again and Lucy swallowed hard.

"Natsu, I-I'm pregnant." Silence. Natsu stood before her, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. Lucy fought the tears that were threatening to spill; she was filled with conflicting emotions and she wasn't sure how Natsu was handling it. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" Natsu practically gasped and knelt down in front of Lucy to meet her gaze. When Lucy saw the look of utter adoration and love that shone in Natsu's eyes, the tears started flowing. "D-don't cry!"

"A-are you happy?" Lucy breathed out and Natsu's face broke into one of his brilliantly ecstatic grins.

"Happy? I've never been more happy in my life!" Natsu yelled out and scooped Lucy up, twirling her in a circle. "Oh shit, I shouldn't do that!" Natsu quickly put her down and started showering her face with kisses.

"I," Kiss. "Am," Kiss. "So," Kiss. "Happy." Kiss. Through her tears, Lucy laughed and Natsu placed a sloppy kiss on Lucy's lips.

"Gross! Natsu's kissing Lucy!" Yaje complained, sticking his tongue out in apparent disgust.

"Yeah, that is pretty gross." Gajeel agreed with his son, though he was smiling happily at the pair.

"It's called being in _love_ , read a book." Shutora shot back, frowning at her brother.

"Are you sure you're not just getting fat?" Happy questioned and Carla swatted at his head.

" _Happy_!"

"I'm just kidding, Lucy." Happy flew over to her excitedly and nuzzled into her chest. "That's so awesome!"

"When did you find out?" Natsu asked, not letting go of Lucy's waist.

"About a month after you left..." Lucy rested her head on Natsu's chest, the two of them in their own delighted world.

"She's about five months along." Wendy informed Natsu. "We just found out the gender, do you want to know?" The younger girl smiled and Natsu and Lucy looked at her with wide eyes.

"You didn't tell me that when I went with you to Porlyusica!" Lucy exclaimed and Wendy smiled wistfully.

"I figured you guys would want to find out together." She grinned and Lucy smiled up at Natsu.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked and Natsu nodded his head.

"Hell yeah I wanna know!" He affirmed excitedly and Lucy giggled.

"Okay, Wendy, lay it on us!" Lucy smiled at Wendy who nodded happily.

"It's a girl." She said quietly and Lucy's heart leapt up to her throat. _We're having a daughter_!

"I'm gonna be a dad? And I'm gonna have a daughter? A daughter!" Natsu cheered out and hugged Lucy tightly. Lucy caught the eyes of her friends; Gray looked undoubtably ecstatic for the pair, his eyes glittering in the lamplight. Levy jumped up excitedly for her friend, and Juvia snuggled closer to Briny. Erza and Jellal at each other, Jellal's hand over Erza's growing belly.

"We're gonna be one big family!" Happy cheered and Lucy grabbed him out of the air and pulled him to her chest. "Wah!"

"Yes... We're going to be one big family." Lucy promised, nuzzled his blue fur.

"It looks like you kids are going to have three new friends to play with soon." Mira giggled, her hand on her own swollen belly and Lucy and Erza smiling at each other. "Fine additions to Fairy Tail!"

* * *

Natsu and Lucy went home shortly after Natsu's homecoming. After all of the excitement, Natsu realized how exhausted he was, and Lucy agreed that they should get some rest. Happy had decided to stay behind at the guild to catch up with everyone, but Lucy suspected he was giving her and Natsu privacy and she appreciated it dearly.

They walked hand in hand back to the house that they knew so well; the sign that had 'Natsu and Happy' on it still stood proudly with another tacked on piece of wood reading, 'and Lucy'. They made their way inside to the dark house, shuffling around to get to their bedroom, Natsu dropping his belongings on the floor as he went. They both snuggled up in their bed, foreheads resting on each other's.

"I love you." Natsu whispered to her, his hand resting on Lucy's stomach. "And I love you too. Daddy is happy to be home for you." He directed his words to Lucy's abdomen making her smile brightly.

"We love you too, Natsu." Lucy placed a quick kiss on Natsu's lips and then nuzzled her face into his neck. "I'm so happy you're home."

"I'm glad to be home..." Natsu sighed contently. "But I wish you told me, I would have come home sooner."

"You were doing a job and, besides, I was fine. I'm okay, aren't I?" Lucy giggled and Natsu hugged her close to his chest.

"What if something happened?"

"Well, I'm not defenseless. But if I did need help, the guild was around." Lucy brought her hand up to run her fingers through Natsu's hair that was now loose and flopping over his face.

"I'm never leaving you again." He placed a wet kiss on her cheek making her giggle.

"Hey, don't threaten me!" Lucy teased and Natsu pouted.

"You're mean, Luce!" Natsu whined and Lucy rolled her eyes playfully. "But I love you anyways."

"I'm glad because I love you too." Lucy placed a kiss on Natsu's jaw, his little pricks of stubble scraping her lips. "I have a name picked out if you want to hear it. I-I mean, I've had names for if it was going to be a boy or a girl, but now that we know..."

"Yeah, I want to hear it!" Natsu exclaimed and Lucy smiled.

"Lena." Lucy revealed to him. "How does Lena Dragneel sound?"

"I love it." He stated sincerely. "It sounds perfect." Lucy smiled up at him happily.

"Really?"

"Really. It's great."

"It means light... I thought it was appropriate." Lucy chuckled lightly and Natsu kissed the top of her head.

"I can't wait to meet you, Lena." Natsu rubbed his hand over Lucy's stomach and Lucy threaded her fingers through his as he did so.

Natsu and Lucy's relationship had progressed slowly, but sweetly and Lucy had decided long ago that everything with Natsu was worth the wait. They loved in a way that was so unique to them that she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. They were best friends, and they would always be that first. They were best friends who had so much love and care for one another that they decided to be together forever, they would always be by each other's sides. It was a promise that Natsu had made long ago, and it was a promise that he kept everyday that he loved and cared for her.

From the moment that he brought her to Fairy Tail, to the very moment that they were sharing in their home, they had always loved each other. Sometimes words can't express enough about how you feel about someone, and Lucy knew that, over the years, Natsu had constantly shown her through his actions how much he cared for her.

They had grown to be more than friends and had grown to be a family. Lucy knew that Lena would be born into such love and such adoration, and she was so happy to finally share something that was a manifestation of her and Natsu's love for each other. Lucy knew that everything was worth the wait, and waiting for Natsu, and now waiting for Lena were some of the most precious times that she would ever have in her life.

"Thank you, Natsu..."


End file.
